Abstract
In the last two decades, online learning has transformed the field of higher education. Also during this time, institutions of higher education have seen increases in their adult learner populations. The flexibility and accessibility of an online education model is often particularly appealing to adult learners, who bring unique needs, expectations, and learning styles to their educational experiences. Using Kolb's Learning Style Inventory and Knowles' andragogy model as theoretical frameworks, this study evaluates an online graduate course in epidemiology in terms of the demographics, learning styles, satisfaction, and achievement of students. Comparing the online course to the same, land-based course that was offered concurrently, we found no differences between students' learning styles, satisfaction, and overall achievement. However, students in the land-based class were more likely to be matriculated into a degree program (p<0.005), more likely to be full-time students (p<0.002), and more likely to work part-time or not at all (p<0.002). These findings provide evidence that student preferences for method of content delivery are correlated to lifestyle factors and not age, previous experiences, or learning styles.
Highlights
Online learning has become increasingly popular across all levels of education for numerous reasons
The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), under the U.S Department of Education, described adult learners as people at least 16 years old (2005); adult learners are more commonly identified as people between the ages of 25 and 50 (Kimmel, 2012; Moore & Kearsley, 2005; OsgoodTreston, 2001)
Incorporating aspects of andragogy and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, the purpose of this study was to use student satisfaction and achievement to evaluate the effectiveness of graduate-level training in an online Introduction to Epidemiology course compared to a land-based Introduction to Epidemiology course and examine the differences in demographics and learning styles between students who enrolled in the two courses
Summary
Online learning has become increasingly popular across all levels of education for numerous reasons. As Knowles (1973, 1980, 1984) theorized in his andragogy model, adult learners seek information they feel is valuable to them and that can be applied within their lives. They appreciate self-directed educational experiences, and they prefer to work independently towards their own defined educational and professional needs (Knowles, 1980, 1984; Kimmel, 2012). This is true of physician-scholars who further their education after completing their residency (Fordis et al 2005). With busy clinical schedules and clearly defined training goals that must be applicable and relevant to their work, physician-scholars pursuing a postdoctoral degree in research methods often find online education more appealing than traditional face-to-face instruction
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